I was recently in Las Vegas with a few girlfriends. I try and get there at least once per year. I enjoy gambling, I enjoy the food, and I love the shows!
The girls I went on the trip with this time had no interest in playing any sort of table game. I love the likes of Blackjack and Roulette and sitting around together all attempting to beat the house. You always meet some interesting people and it’s just a lot of fun.
We ended up playing slot machines a lot. The problem of course is that there’s no real community aspect to it; we all wanted to play different slots. I wanted to play the Friends slot for example while another friend wanted to play Monopoly, which was the other side of the casino.
I also was able to gamble at the best casinos thanks to the great resource at casinomaps.io. They provide thorough reviews of all the casinos so I was able to pick and choose what ones to play at – because you are a bit spoilt for choice in Vegas!
I’ve only played slots in passing, so I actually found it quite fascinating to sit there and play and really study not just the slots, but the people around me.
It got me interested in learning more about slots, and when I came home along with picking up some books on slots, I actually started playing at the online casino Slotjoint. I was curious as to what the difference was between online slots and live slots. I have to say I much prefer the online play as there’s such a big variety, and it seems a lot more features.
If you are a slots player and are interested in reading more about slots – I read about 10 different books (I know, I’m a geek but I get OCD with this sort of thing), and here are the ones I enjoyed the most in no particular order:
Oh and I should issue a disclaimer – despite what these books say, they are NOT going to teach you how to actually profit at slots. But from reading them, they did help change my perspective a lot in regard to slots so that I can at least be a bit smarter when I play.
See at Amazon#1: Super Slot Secrets by John Douglas
Released in 2019, Super Slot Secrets was the first one I read. I mean who can resist a book title like that? I want to know all the secrets darn it!
This was a good introduction to slot machines. Now there was obviously some filler such as chapters on cruise ships and casinos, but there were some real insights into the mentality of slots such as the chapter called The Cycles and Psychology of Slots.
That’s the sort of thing I love reading as I feel it helps me have a better mentality when I play games where I have a disadvantage.
So it’s a bit of a mixed bag this one, but enough interesting information in it for me to recommend.
See at Amazon#2 Learning To Win by Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D.
I had never heard of this person before but apparently, he runs, a blog and podcast under the “Professor Slots” name. As of this writing, there are over 180 episodes. I haven’t listened to any yet but will check them out for sure after reading this book.
One section I really enjoyed was him just talking about his first gambling experiences, and then some other gambling experiences. I love hearing that sort of thing. There’s actually not a lot else to the book. Now you’re not actually going to read this book and win at slots, but there were some interesting stories so it’s worth checking out.
See at Amazon#3 Break the One-Armed Bandits by Frank Scbolete
First let me state that this book, like other books, will NOT help you beak the one-armed bandits haha. Can you imagine? However, one thing I really liked about this book is it was written in 1994, so it was very neat being able to go back and read a book written back in the day before e-readers and online casinos.
The reason is books of this nature back then were just written differently; they put their all into it as opposed to going for a quick cash grab. So there is a lot of interesting information in this. I actually really enjoyed his interviews with slot personnel the most – getting that sort of perspective was different and really neat to read.
See at Amazon#4 Reel Truth, Right From the Source by Mark Vincent
Here’s a reel truth: WORST! COVER! EVER!
Jokes aside – this book is written by a certified slot technician. So you actually get a lot of really good information on slot machines and how they work.
There are some good myths and facts sections, and lots of information on the likes of progressives and multipliers and multi-line slots.
I learned a lot from this book and the unique perspective that it was written.
See at Amazon#5 Slot Machines Pictorial History by Marshall Fey
Saving the best for last!
This was the fifth edition and I really wish there were more editions. This one was released in 1997.
I could only get the hardcover version and it cost a pretty penny.
It’s exactly what you expect. It goes from the 1890s all the way through to the 1990s and it was fascinating seeing slot machines over the years and all of the differences.
An excellent coffee table book.
Out of the books I read, those are the only ones I would actually recommend. To be honest, the rest of them were garbage trying to teach you “strategies” to beat the slots and all that nonsense. Talking about “hot” slots and all that. Not worth it.
If you’re a slots fan any of the above books you should enjoy. I also highly recommend the Pictorial History book – it’s proudly sitting on my coffee table and people love picking it up and browsing.
